Saturday, March 31, 2012

If you are going to stay at a particular place for quite some
time say more than three months, then its better to buy a car rather
than rent one. Buying a car involves quite some work. It's better to be
cautious while buying a car, 'cause owning a car brings you freedom and
you own a vehicle but you need to maintain the car and take care of any
problems.
The main concern while buying a car is its maintenance
cost should not be high; otherwise you will loose a lot. So here is what
experience tells us.
Buying a car in America is very easy, there
are lots of used cars for sale and there is never a shortage. It is just
the question of deciding the budget and type of car to be bought.
Most
people prefer Japanese cars over American makes simply because of the
easy re-salability. The most popular Japanese car makes are Honda and
Toyota.
Types of models? There are two categories of cars, 2-door,
4-door. The 2-d are cheaper. Then comes the type of transmission
(gear), automatic or stick shift. Most people buy automatic
transmission. Such cars are very easy to drive. (Almost all-Indian cars
are of the stick-shift variety).
Where to look? The local
newspapers carry a lot of car sale advertisement everyday. You should
see the paper and decide on the ones you are interested in. Next call up
the owner at the tel. no. given, as early in the day as possible and
fix up an appointment to visit and see the car. Test-drive it, if you
like it and the price is ok, tell the owner that you'd like to get it
checked up by a mechanic. This is the normal practice. There is nothing
to feel shy about asking the car to be checked up. This will save you a
lot of money later after purchasing the car from unforeseen problems
that some used cars land up into.
Look up the yellow pages in the
local tel. directory to get the list of car mechanics or just ask
colleagues to recommend one. If that doesn't work out, ask the local AAA
(American Automobile Association) office to recommend someone to you.
For a fee of about $25-30 the mechanic will check up the car and tell
you the problems or possible problems if any.
Some people do it for free. It is good to tell the auto mechanic to
check up the following things with additional care in addition to their
regular: -
1) Brake cylinder, drum and worn out pads
2) Transmission. (This is the costliest part in an automatic car)
3) If it is a 4 speed never buy it. 5 speeds are ok.
4) Check for rust in bottom, radiators, muffler and tailpipe.
5)
Check for vibrations when you brake from 40mph, without downshifting.
If there are vibrations, either break pads or steering pinion is in bad
shape. Get 4 people to sit in the car and you can make out if the
suspensions are OK, when you make a sharp turn.
6) Most important,
check for oil leaks, and whether the car gives you power speed/pick-up
when you try to accelerate. You can feel if it's OK.
7) Last,
check for emission whether the smoke is black (thick), which means oil,
is also burned with fuel => the car is beyond its life. The piston
rings might be leaving a gap in the cylinders because of wear. In that
case, don't buy the car, because you will have to change the cylinder,
piston and rings which will come to double the cost.8) Ask the owner
to give the records of the maintenance he has done, like new tires etc.
Also, make sure you don't go beyond 3rd hand purchase. There must be
something seriously wrong with the car if people have changed owners
drastically.
9) Air filter, valve etc. OK?
Ask the owner to
discount the price of the car by the amount required for the repairs
suggested by the mechanic. Or else ask him to get it repaired for you.
The rates of the used cars have some standard values, which are
generally not exceeded. These values can be checked up in something
called "Blue Book" which is a text available in the public library or
with car dealers. So car models classified as per Year of make have
their value
listed in the Blue B OK. There is a cost deduction to be applied for
the mileage that the car has been driven for, which is mentioned in
most Blue Books. That gives a fair idea about the standard cost of any
used car. Moreover there is ample scope for price negotiation. Generally
private owners who sell through ads can give better discounts than used
car dealers. Generally car dealers stick to the Blue Book Price but
usually ask more.
Mileage is also a consideration while purchasing
a used car. Lesser the better. The ideal average is 10000 miles per
year. So a car manufactured in 1987 may have a driven mileage of about
70000 miles in 1994 and not more than 80000. These are approx. figures.
After
buying a car you need to get it insured. You cannot drive a car in the
U.S. without proper Insurance. The car has to be insured against
collisions etc. There are various vehicle Insurance companies having
various deals. Look up the yellow pages and call up some of them and ask
for their rates. Then decide on one. The Insurance coverage period and
the type of Insurance chosen and your age (more for less than 25 yr.)
decide the amount to be paid. The "comprehensive", "collision" is terms
used by the Insurance companies to describe the type of insurance
coverage. Get everything explained properly.
There is sometimes
windscreen coverage too, for a nominal additional amount per month; this
insures your windshield against damage (a windscreen replacement may
cost about $200.00 approx. otherwise).
You have to get the
emission testing done on your car before it can be registered. In case
the previous owner has got it done and the test is valid still, then
there is no need to do it again for the specified period. The valid test
papers are required for Registration.
The local vehicle
registration office will issue a temporary registration for 45 days and
meanwhile process and prepare the proper number plates. The documents
required to get a registration are - Car ownership (title) papers,
Emission Test papers, and Car Insurance papers. After proper
registration is done you can drive your car. However you should have a
Driver's License. Actually each state in the U.S. has different laws.
Most states allow you to drive with an I.D.P. (International Driving
Permit) for a year or so. But others require that you get a local
Driver's License. The driver's license can be obtained from the local
DMV office after a written and driving test. Refer to the section on
obtaining a driver's license for details.